Buffer for locomotive and tender couplings.



T. L. MoKEEN. BUFFER E011 LoooMoTIvE AND TENDER ooUPLINGs. APPLIOATION FILED DEO. 8. 1910.

1,074,445, 1 Patented Sept'. y30, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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T. L. MOKEBN. BUFFER POR LOCOMOTIVE AND TENDER GOUPLINGS. APPLICATION FILED 1320.8. 1910.

1,074,445, Patentedsept-3a191a 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIcE.

THOMAS L. nennen, er na'sroN, PENNSYLVANIA.

Burana roa-Loconorrvnam: TENDER. consultes.

specification of Letters raient;

ratenteasepa 3o, 1913.

Application filed December 8, 1910. Serial No. 596.317.

State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvementl in Buffers for Locomotive and-Tender Couplers, of. which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to improvements in friction buing devices for pivoted couplers of the kind which are used on tenders or on the pilots of locomotives.

The objects of this invention are to pro.- duce a strong and efiicient friction bufng device of high capacity which is adapted to be secured on the end-sill'of the locomotive pilot or tender in place vof the base plates or brackets heretofore used for pivotally supporting the coupler, and which is soconstructed that the bracket orcasing containing the builing mechanism is of substantially the same dimensions and occupies practically no more space than the ordinary base plates or brackets, also to improve theoonstruction of buftng devices for couplers of this type in the respects hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanyingvdrawings, consisting of two sheets: Figure 1l is a sectional plan of a buiiing device embodying the in` vention, on line 1-1,`Fig. 2. Fig.- 2 is a front elevation thereof, partly in section, on line 2-p-2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is atr-ansverse sectional elevation thereofin line 3 3, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinali sectional elevation thereof.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the several figures.

A represents a casing. or bracket which is adapted to be secured to a tender or to a locomotive pilot in any suitable manner, for example, by bolts or rivets passing through suitable holes a in the: base plate of the bracket or casing. The bracket has an integral hollow middle portion v forminga chamber B in which the friction devices of' the drawbar are contained and which has an opening I) in its outer or front wall through which the friction devices can be inserted into the chamber B. The drawbar chamber is relatively short lengthwise of the locomotive or tender to accommodate itself to the limited amount of space available.

C represents a coupler, of any. ordinary or any suitable type, which has a short shank c that enters the opening bof the drawbar chamber B and is 'pivotally connectedto the Icasing. A so as to permit the coupler to swing-sidewise and also tomove lengthwise of the locomotive or tender. In the 'construction shown, the coupler is pivoted by toward the inner portion of the drawhar chamber. The contacting faces-of the coupler shank and wedge are preferablyv curved.

concentrically withthe coupler pivot pin c',

which permits the swinging or pivotal mo-l tion of the coupler. The oblique side faces of the wedge bear against the corresponding oblique faces of twoy oppositely disposed friction blocks E which are arranged in the drawbar chamber at opposite sides of the Wedge and are pressed against the wedge D-A by leaf springs F F arranged in the opposite ends of the drawbar chamber B. The couplen shank, when. secured 1n place by the pivot pin c,.practically fills the opening b in-the drawbar chamber and'retains the friction devices int lace in thechamber. The friction blocks are held against inward movement by the inner wall of; the drawbar chamber,.and:when the cou ler'is forced 1nwardly in butling, thecoup er shank forces the wedge DA inwardly into. the drawbar chamber andthe inward movement of the fwedge causes the friction. blocks to move 4,laterally away fromeach other, ,compressing` the springs F. 'A.wear plate e of hard metal'is preferably placed between the inner wall, ofthe drawbar chamber and the friction blocks to protect said wall from wear bv the blocks.

Each of the leaf springs F F preferably consists of two sets of bowed spring plates arranged .vertically with their concave faces toward each other and their convex faces bearing against the friction block and the side wall -of the drawbar chamber. The leaf springs give a much greater resistance than could be obtained with coil springs occupying the same amount of space, and by employing two oppositely arranged sets of spring plates for each spring, as described, suflicient movement of the friction blocks is permitted to make the inclination ofthe faces of the friction and wedge blocks great enough to enable a relatively long travel of 'or bracket which is of practically the same dimensions as, and can be substituted in the v place of, the brackets or base plates which have heretofore been used for pivoted locomotive and tender couplers and which have no liuiing mechanism. Eurthermore, the buffer consists of very few parts, is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to assemble, and

yis so constructed that the parts which are subject to the severest wear can be easily replaced when worn out.

f represents wear plates which are placed between the leaf springs and the bottom wall of the drawbar chamber.

G G represent plates which are inserted through slots in the top wall of the drawbar chamber between the edges of the leaf springs and the outer wall of the chamber. These plates serve to close openings gin the outer wall of the buffer chamber, through which the leaf springs are inserted into and removed from the drawbar chamber. The openings g enable `broken sprin plates to be removed and .others inserte in their place without dismantling the rest of the buffer.

I claim as my invention: i

l. The combrrration of ,a casin having a chamber, a coupler having a s ort shank pivotally connected to said casing to swing sidewise and to move inwardly relative to said chamber, a wedge in said chamber in rea-r of the pivotal connection of the shank yto the casing and which is adapted to loe` cated in front of said wedge and movable laterally relative thereto, friction blocks in said chamber at opposite sides of said wedge and adapted to be moved laterally by said wedge, and means in said chamber for op'- posing the movement of said friction blocks, substantially as set forth. A

2. The combination of a Casin -having a chamber, a coupler having a .shan `pivotally connected to said casing to swing sidewise and to move inwardly relative to said chamber a wedge in said chamber in rear of the inner end of the shank and which is adapted to b e moved inwardly in the chamber by the inward movement of the shank, the inner end of the shank being movable laterally relative to said wedge, friction blocks' in said chamberat opposite sides of said wedge and adapted to be moved laterally by said wedge, and leaf springs arrangedin the opposite ends of said chamber for opposing the movement of said friction blocks, substantially as set forth. y p

3. rlhe combination of a casing having a drawbar chamber, a coupler having a shank which has a pin andslot connection with said casing whereby it is adapted to swing sidewise and move inwardly into said drawbar chamber, a wedge in said chamber against which the inner end of said drawbar bears and relatively to which the shank is adapted to move, said wedge being adapted to be moved inwardly by said drawbar, friction blocks arranged in said chamber'at opposite sides of said wedge andadapted to be moved laterally by the inward movement of said wedge, and leaf springsv arranged in an upright position between the walls of said chamber and said friction blocks, said springs being adaptedto yield laterally and to oppose the lateral movement of said friction blocks, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand, this 3rd day of December, 1910.

THOMAS L. MCKEEN.

Witnesses:

C. W. PARKER, C. B. 'HORNBEGL 

